Gasket-seat-cleantjktg- tool



Jan. 29,. 1924.

' H. L, STALEY" GASKET SEAT CLEANING T001.

Filed April 6. 1920 Patented Jan. 29, 1924..

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HARRISON L. STALEY, F RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

GASKET-SEAT-CLEANING TOOL.

Application filed April 6,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON L. STALEY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Richmond, county of Henrico, and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements '11 Gasket-Seat-Cleaning Tools, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

Tn water-tube boilers, it is customary to provide the boiler-head with a series of holes in alinement with the water-tubes for the purpose of'inserting tube-cleaning devices. These holes are closed while the boiler is in use by covers which are clamped against the inner face of the boiler-head, a gasket being clamped between the cover-plate and the boiler-head to ensure a gas-tight joint. When these cover-plates are removed to permit access to the water-tubes the gasket has so deteriorated that parts of it stick to the. gasket-seat formed in the boiler-shell, and these rough parts of the gasket must be thoroughly scraped off before a new gasket can be put into place. These old gaskets stick very tightly to the boiler-shell and it is consequently a laborious job to dislodge the parts of the gasket from the boilershell by the means now available. It is the object of the present invention to provide a simple rotary tool for cutting away the debris of the gasket, whereby this work may be done with great expedition and thoroughness, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the tool;

Fig. 2 is a view of the forward end of the tool, the cover or head-plate being removed;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the inner face of the head-plate showing the cutters mounted therein; v P Fig. 4 is a section on the line H of *i .1; F l ig. 5 is a section on the line 5'-5 of i 2. \eferring to the drawings annexed by letters, a designates a shaft provided at its outer end with means such as a hand-crank Z for rotating it, and provided at its inner i end with a cutter-head 0, this head being aflixed to the shaft by a pin d which passes through the hub of a head-plate e rigidly secured to the head by bolts 7.

The inner face of the head-disk e is re cessed for the reception of a pair of 1920. Serial No. 371,650.

radially arranged cutters g, these outters being adapted for radial movement and being guided by having their forked inner ends straddle the shaft a and overlap each other. These cutters I are further guided by contact with the straight walls of the recess in the head in which they lie. These cutters in their normal position project slightly beyond the periphery of the cutter-head, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. They are adapted to be projected radially outwardly by means of an elliptical camgroove it formed in the forward face of the disk 2' mounted within the cutter-head and having its forward face closely adjacent to the rear faces of the cutter-bars, each cutter being provided with a pin j which works in said cam-groove, and each pin being provided, for anti-friction purposes, with a roller 2".

The cam-disk 2' has a friction fit on the shaft or and is provided with a hub is which extends through an opening in the rear wall of the cutter-head, this hub being provided near its rear end with a radial pin m. Slidingly mounted on the shaft a and provided. with a recess in its forward side into which the hub 70 loosely extends is a bar at which is provided at each end with a foot 0 adapted to bear against the outer face of the boiler-sheet p, a flange 9 being provided on each foot for the purpose of entering partway into the hole in the boiler-sheet, to assist in holding the tool accurately to its work. This bar 72., with its feet, forms a yoke which straddles the'cutter-head and this yoke is provided with a hub portion n. The radial pin m carried by the hub is at a point within the hub of the yoke n is adapted to abut against either a shoulder r at one side or a companion shoulder s at the other side, these shoulders beingformed on the yoke-hub and being about a quarter turn fromeach other so asto thereby permit the hub 70 to have an oscillation of about a quarter of a turn independently of the cutter-head and shaft. The yoke is normally pressed toward the cutter-head by means of a coil-spring tsurrounding the shaft a and pressing normally against hub n, this spring being adapted to have its tension regulated by an abutmentcollar a fastened to said shaft by a set screw 4). I J

Normally, the spring 27 presses the yoke against the outer face of the cutter head.

In inserting the tool in the hole in the boiler-plate, the cutter-head turned so that the cutters will lie parallel with the major axis of the ellipse, while the canigroove it has its major axis at right angles 'to that of the ellipse, as shown in lg. 2,

in which position they freely pass through the opening in the boiler-sheet. Then, by pressing inwardly on the outer end of the shaft a the spring 6 will be compressed and the cutter-head will be moved far enough into the boiler to carry the cutters beyond the boiler-wallg then, while continuing the pressure on the spring, the shaft a is rotated in the direction of the full-line arrow shown in Figs. 2 and 4. In thus rotating the shaft, the cutters are not immediately projected, since in this initial rotation of the shaft for about a quarter of a turn the cam-disk 2' will, by reason of its frictional engagement with the shaft a, be carried around with the shaft; but, as soon as the pin on comes up against the shoulder s, the cam-disk will be arrested and thus maintain the cam-groove against rotation, whereupon, by continuing V the rotation of the shaft, the cutters will be alternately moved outwardly and inwardly to thus cause their cutting-edges to describe an elliptical path corresponding with the shape of the cam-groove It. This groove h is exactly the same shape as the gasket '21), to thereby cause the cutters to describe a path exactly coinciding with the gasket-seat to be cleaned. I have shown an elliptical cam-groove and gasketseat, but it will be understood that the device may be adapted for other non-circular forms of gasketseats.

It will be observed that with my appliance a small number of turns of the cutter-head will completely out out the debris of the gasket and leave the seat clean for the reception of a fresh gasket. After the cutting operation is complete, to withdraw the tool it is simply necessary to reversely rotate shaft a, whereupon the cam-disk 2' again frictionally rotates with the shaft (2 to'the extent of about a quarter of a turn, when it comes against shoulder '2", this initial quarter turn in the reverse direction serving to bring the cam-groove it into position with its major diameter at right-angles to the major diameter of the elliptical hole in the boiler-sheet, in which position the cutters will be in a position to be withdrawn through the hole in the boiler-sheet, as shown in Fig. 2: It will be understood that when the tool is inserted in the boiler-opening the parts will always be in a position to bring the'major diameters of the oval opening in the: boiler-sheet and the cam-groove at right-angles. Inasmuch as it is the universal custom to form the oval openings in the boiler-sheetwit-h theirmajor diameters in a vertical position, the cutters will consebodying a quently always be in a vertical position when inserted and also when withdrawn.

In View of the fact that the boiler-holes are frequently so located that a complete rotation of the crank-handle is impossible by reason of obstructions, I provide means whereby the cutter-head may be oscillated somewhat in the manner of a ratchet device. To accomplish this I simply pivot upon the yoke 72- a stop 00 in such manner that it may be thrown over in a position to lock the pin on against the working shoulder s, where upon, as is obvious, the cam-disk will be held against rotation irrespective of the direction of rotation of the shaft and cutterhead. This will permit the cutter-head to be rotated continuously in either direction or back and forth without w thdrawing the cutters into the inoperative position shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The nature and scope of the invention having been thus indicated and its preferred embodiment having been specifically described, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a tool of the class described, a circular rotary cutter-head, a shaft carrying the cutter-head, means whereby the cutterhead is held to its work, and means within the head whereby the cutting-edges of the cutter are caused to describe a non-circular path during cutting action, said means em- 7 cam-member having partial rotatability independently of the head to permit insertion of the head into the handhole, substantially as set forth.

2. In a tool of the class set forth, a shaft carrying a cutter-head adapted to be inserted frontwards in the hole in the boilerwall, cutters carried by said head at its forward end, a pressure means for holding the cutters against the gasket-seat while in operation, and means for alternately moving the cutters in and out to cause them to follow the non-circular gasket-seat, the last-named means embodying a disk having a non-circular cam-groove mounted on the head and havingindependent initial limited rotation thereon.

3. In a tool of the class described, a shaft provided witha cutter-head adapted to be inserted in the hole in the boiler-wall, means supporting the shaft and for resiliently pulling the cutter head and shaft outwardly so as to cause the cutters to work on the gasket-scat, and a disk carried by the cutterhead and provided with a cam for operating the cutters so that they will travel in a non-circular path coinciding with the gasket seat, said disk having means for arresting its movement with respectto the cutter-head.

t. In a tool ofthe class set forth, are having a handle'at its outer end for rotating it, a cutter-head afliXed to its'inner end and rarrying sliding cutters each of which carcam-member ries an outwardly-extending pin, a camdisk enclosed within said cutter-head and having a non-circular groove engaging said pins, this cam-disk being provided with an outwardly-extending hub and being frictionally mounted on the shaft, a spring pressed yoke mounted on the shaft and adapted to be pressed against the boilersheet, said yoke having a hollow hub projecting outwardly into which hollow hub the hub of the disk projects, this hollow hub being provided with a stop at each side and the hub of the disk being provided with a lug adapted to engage either one of said stops, and a device on the yoke adaptedito lock said lug against one of said stops, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a tool of the class set forth, a support, a shaft provided with a cutter-head, reciprocating cutters mounted in the head, a cam-member in the head for reciprocating said cutters, said cam-member being adapted to frictionally rotate with the shaft during its initial movement, and means whereby the cam-member is arrested at a predetermined point so that thereafter the cammember will serve to alternately project and withdraw the cutters.

6. In a tool of the class set forth, a shaft provided with a cutter-head, reciprocating it is in working position to thereby enable the tool to be rotated in either direction.

7 In a tool of the class set forth, a shaft provided at one end with means for rotating it and having affixed to its other end a cutter-head, slidable cutters in said head, a for actuating the cutters mounted in the head and provided with a forwardly-extending hub carrying a stoppin, and a supporting pressureyoke mounted on the shaft and provided with a stop against which said stop-pin abuts when the cam-member is in working position, for the purpose set forth.

8. In a tool of the class set forth, a shaft provided at one end with means for rotating it and having aflixed to its other end a cut fer-head, slidable cutters in said head, a cam-member for actuating the cutters mounted in the head and provided with a forwardly-extending hub carrying a stoppin, a supporting pressureyoke mounted on the shaft and provided with a stop against which said stop-pin abuts when the cam-member i in working position, and a movable stop for locking said pin against said shoulder to thereby permit the cutter to be rotated in either direction at will.

9. In a tool of the class set forth, a shaft provided at one endwith means for rotating it and having aiiixed to its other end a cutter-head, slidable cutters in said head, a cam-member for actuating the cutters mounted in the head and provided with a forwardly-extending hub carrying a stop pin, and a supporting pressure-yoke mounted on the shaft and provided with a stop against which said stop-pin abuts when the cam-member is in working position, said pressure-yoke being provided with flanges adapted to enter and engage the wall in the hole in the boiler-plate to thereby accurately support the tool in position for cleaning the gasket-seat on the inner face of the boiler-wall.

10. In a tool of the class set forth, a shaft,acutter-head affixed thereto and carrying a plurality of cutters movable inwardly and outwardly, a disk mounted on said cutter-head, and means whereby this disk is permitted to have limited initial rota-- tion with respect to said head to thereby project the cutters to working position, said disk being provided with an elliptcal camgroove engaged by pins on said cutters, and spring-pressed supporting means carried by, the shaft and adapted to engage the boilerwall.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afi'ix my signature.

HARRISON L. STALEY.

Witnesses:

R. A. GARBER, RUBY C. STALEY. 

